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nomenclature
[ noh-muhn-kley-cher, noh-men-kluh-cher, -choor ]
/ ˈnoʊ mənˌkleɪ tʃər, noʊˈmɛn klə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər /
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noun
a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art, by an individual or community, etc.
the names or terms comprising a set or system.
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Origin of nomenclature
First recorded in 1600–10, nomenclature is from the Latin word nōmenclātūra “a calling by name, list of names.” See nomenclator, -ure
historical usage of nomenclature
English nomenclature comes straight from Latin nōmenclātūra “assignment of names to things, mentioning things by name, a list of names.” In English, the original (Latin) sense dates to the early 17th century. At the same time, nomenclature acquired the sense “a systematic assignment of names, as in botany or zoology” (as in binomial nomenclature ), and later in the same century, “the technical terms within a science.”
The noun nomenklatura “nomenclature” has existed in Russian since the early 19th century. Beginning in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, nomenklatura meant the list of names or category of people in the Soviet Union who held important positions in the bureaucracy, all of whom had to be approved by the Communist Party. English adopted nomenklatura in the late 1950s in discussing the bureaucracies of the Soviet Union and other Communist countries.
The noun nomenklatura “nomenclature” has existed in Russian since the early 19th century. Beginning in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, nomenklatura meant the list of names or category of people in the Soviet Union who held important positions in the bureaucracy, all of whom had to be approved by the Communist Party. English adopted nomenklatura in the late 1950s in discussing the bureaucracies of the Soviet Union and other Communist countries.
OTHER WORDS FROM nomenclature
no·men·cla·tur·al, no·men·cla·to·ri·al [noh-muhn-kluh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-], /ˌnoʊ mən kləˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, no·men·cla·tive [noh-muhn-kley-tiv], /ˈnoʊ mənˌkleɪ tɪv/, adjectiveWords nearby nomenclature
nom de guerre, nom de plume, nome, nomen, nomenclator, nomenclature, nomenklatura, Nomex, nominal, nominal aphasia, nominal damages
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nomenclature in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for nomenclature
nomenclature
/ (nəʊˈmɛnklətʃə, US ˈnəʊmənˌkleɪtʃər) /
noun
the terminology used in a particular science, art, activity, etc
Word Origin for nomenclature
C17: from Latin nōmenclātūra list of names; see nomenclator
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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